Domestic appliance



July 23, 1929. R. s. o. LAWSON ROPE MARKER Filed Sept. 6, 1928 I gvwwtoz filo 3 i $3 L July 23, 1929. R. L. LEE

DOMESTIC APPLIANCE 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed Oct. 3, 1923 IYZUEJZITET' Wm Patented July 23, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RALPH L. LEE, OF DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO DELCO-LIGHT COMPANY, OF DAYTON, OHIO, A. CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

DOMESTIC APPLIANCE.

Application liled October 3, 1923. Serial No. 666,283.

This invention relates to mechanism for operating machines having a reciprocating or oscillating operating member or shaft, such for example as a washing machine of the dolly type.

An object of the presentinvention is to construct the mechanism in such a manner that lubricant will be prevented from coming into contact with the washing device so as not to soil the clothes being washed.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred form of embodiment of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a washing machine of the dolly type including the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, the motor, dolly and dolly shaft being shown in elevation.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, a washing vessel or tub is provided with a hinged lid or cover 21 having a reinforcing strip 22 secured to the under side thereof, and a handle 23 for raising the lid 21 on the hinges 24. The lid 21 and reinforcing strip 22 are provided with an aperture 25 common to both and centrally disposed with respect to the tub 20.

A unitary driving mechanism 25 is secured to the lid 21 by bolts 26 and comprises a supporting base 27 being centrally recessed and merging into a cup-shaped portion 28 which is received by aperture 25, the portion 28 being provided with a circular aperture 29 in the bottom thereof. Gear housing 80, which is preferably cast integrally with the frame of motor 65, is secured to the supporting base 27 by bolts 82, the base of housing 80 being provided with a circular aperture in alinement with the aperture 29. Gear housing cover 34, having a central opening 85 in alinemcnt with apertures 33 and 29, is secured to gear housing 80 by bolts 36.

Motor 65 may be of the reversing type, as clearly shown and described in the patent to Ralph L. Lee, No. 1,552,067, issued September 1, 1925. However, since the reversing mechanism for the motor does not constitute a part of the present invention, the same has been omitted from the drawings.

A wooden bearing requiring no lubrication is secured within the cup shaped portion 28 by a set screw 41. Located within bearing 40 and resting upon the lower wall of the portion 28 is a cylindrical metal bushing 42 being squared inside to permit a squared dolly shaft 75 to pass endwise therethrough but be- 111 rotatable therewith. Resting upon the upper end of bushing 42, as viewed in Fig. 2, is a disc 43 provided with a circular opening through which shaft 75 is adapted to pass. The disc 43 provides a support for the lower edge of a sleeve 44, the upper edge of which abuts against the lower surface of the bottom wall of gear casing 30.

A sleeve 45 is provided with an annular shoulder 46 centrally thereof, the lower portion 47 of sleeve 45 being received by the aperture 33 and press fitted to gear casing 30. The lower surface of shoulder 46 rests upon the inwardly extending flange 48, formed integrally with the base of gear casing 30. Shaft- 7 5 extends through sleeve 45, there being a slight clearance between shaft 7 5 and the inner surface of the walls of sleeve 45.

The upper portion 49 of sleeve 45, as viewed in Fig. 2, provides a bearing for a worm gear 50 having an inverted cup-shaped hub 51 which extends up through the opening 35 in cover 34 and is provided with a squared opening 52 for receiving the squared dolly shaft 75, whereby the shaft is end wise movable through gear 50 but rotatable therewith. lVorm gear 50 rests upon the upper surface of annular shoulder 46 which forms a bearing therefor, and is provided with a shoulder 53 which abuts against bearing surface 54 comprising the inner wall surface of cover 34.

The hub of worm gear 50 is provided with oblique oil ducts 55 and 56, duct 55 tending to drain chamber 57 which surrounds the upper end of sleeve 45 as viewed in Fig. 2, into an oil groove 57 from whence oil is drained through duct 56 down along bearing 49 back into lubricant chamber 58 formed by gear housing 30. The shaft first emerges into the gear housing and consequently into the lubricant chamber 58 at the upper end of sleeve 45, as viewed in Fig. 2.

Portion 59 of gear casing 30 proi ides a chamber 60 communicating with the lubricant chamber 58 and also provides a bearing 61 and a seat for ball bearing 62 in which the motor shaft 66 is journalled. Shaft 66 extends across chamber 60 and is provided with a worm 67 which meshes with worm gear 50. A nut 68 engaging the threaded end of motor shaft 66 tends to hold theshaft- 66 in position. A removable plug 69 having threaded engagement with gear casing 530 permits access to the roller bearing 62 and nut 68. The leads connecting motor 65 with a suitable source of current pass through a flexible conduit 74 located on the cover of tub 20.

A knob 76 is secured to the upper end of dolly shaft 75 by a pin 76 for preventing the dolly shaft 75 dropping through the gear housing 80 into the washing tub 20 when the lid 21 is raised. A dolly 7 8 is secured to the lower end of shaft 75 within the tub 20 by means of a nut 7 9.

111 ode of operation.

When the motor starting lever 73 is moved to start operation of the motor 65, the worm 67 will drive the worm gear 50, and dolly shaft 75 being rotatable with hub 51 of gear 50, shaft 75 will be oscillated as the motor 65 is operated in opposite directions as disclosed in the patent referred to, thus oscillating the dolly 78 within the tub 20. It will be apparent that the dolly 78 will automatically seek the level of the water in the tub 20, being permitted to do this by the endwise movability of dolly shaft 75. It will also be apparent that any undue pressure on the under side of the dolly 78, which may be caused by the clothes becoming entangled with the dolly or from any other cause, will lift the dolly and dolly shaft upwardly, thus preventing tearing of the clothes.

It is to be understood that only a small quantity of lubricant will be required to be kept in the lubricant chamber 58, inasmuch as the worm 67 and the teeth of worm gear are relatively close to the bottom wall of the gear casing 30. The lubricant which may be splashed or worked up into chamber 57 above the bearing 47 will constantly drain down between the bearing 47 and the hub 51 of the worm gear 50, or will be returned to the lubricant chamber through oil duct- 55, groove 57 and duct 56. It will be impossible for any lubricant to work down between the portion 47 of sleeve 45 and the gear casing 30 because of the press fit between these parts. The annular shoulder 46 serves as a shed to direct the lubricant into the lubricant chamber 58. In this manner no oil can work down into the washing tub 20 and thereby soil the clothes being washed.

\Vhen the lid 21 of the washing tub 20 is raised for the purpose of removing the clothes or putting more clothes into the tub, it will be apparent that the unitary driving mechanism 25 will be in a tilted position. When the driving mechanism is in such position,

the lubricant will drain down into the chamber 60 and the motor will not be flooded with oil, the level of oil in chamber 60 being below the lower edge of bearing 61 when in the tilted position referred to. In any tilted position of the lid 21, the level of the lubricant in gear casing 30 will always be below the level of the top edge of sleeve 45, as viewed in F ig. 2, and thus no lubricant drain down between the shaft 75 and sleeve 45 and thereby work past bushing 40 and enter the tub 20. It will be apparent that when the driving mechanism 25 is in tilted position and the lubricant is contained in the chamber 60, there will be no tendency for any lubricant to leak out through the cover 34 of gear casing 30.

The driving mechanism 25 may be readily disassembled for repairs or replacement of parts. By loosening nut 79, the dolly 78 may be removed from the dolly shaft 75, and shaft 75 may then be withdrawn upwardly, as viewed in Fig. 2 through gear casing 30. The gear casing cover 34 may then be removed, whereupon it is possible to lift the worm gear 50 out of the gear casing 30. By removing plug 69 and loosening nut 68, and removing motor end cover 65, the motor armature may be removed from the motor 65, thus removing motor shaft 66 from bearings 61 and 62. The motor frame and gear casing 30 may then be removed from lid 21 by loosening bolts 26.

lVhile the form of mechanism herein shown and described constitutes a preferred embodiment of one form of invention, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted and various changes and alterations made in the shape, size and proportion of the elements therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

lVhat is claimed is as follows:

1. A washing machine comprising, in combination, a tiltable lid, a prime mover and a gear housing providing a lubricant chamber mounted on said lid, an operating member for the washing machine emerging into the lubricant chamber at apoint above the level of the lubricant in the gear housing at all times, a driving gear connected with the prime mover, a driven gear connected with the operating member, said gears being disposed within the housing and having operative connection with one another below the point of emergence of the operating'member into the lubricant chamber.

2. A washing machine comprising, in combination, a washing vessel, a prime mover, a gear housing providing a lubricant chamher, an operating member in the washing vessel, a shaft extending directly through the lubricant chamber and connected with the operating member, gearing located in said gear housing, adriving connection between said gearing and shaft above the point where the shaft enters the lubricant chamber, and other connections between the prime mover and said gearing below the pointwhere the shaft enters the lubricant chamber, and means for preventing escape of lubricant from the gear housing into the washing vessel.

8. A washing machine comprising, in combination, a tilt-able cover, a gear casing mounted on said cover, a motor supported by said gear casing, a worm carried by the motor shaft within said gear casing, a worm gear supported within said gear casing cooperating with said worm, a dolly shaft for said machine, said shaft being driven by said worm gear but free to move endwise with respect thereto.

4. A washing machine comprising, in combination, an electric motor, a rotatable shaft for said machine, gearing connections between said motor and shaft for driving the latter, including a worm gear, a gear housing for enclosing said gearing, a cover for said housing, and bearings for said worm gear supported by the bottom Wall of said housing and by said cover.

5. A washing machine comprising, in combination, a washing vessel, a tiltable cover for said vessel, a gear casing mounted on said cover, a motor-supported by said gear casing, a worm carried by the motor shaft within said gear casing, a worm gear supported wi thin said gear casing cooperating with said worm, and a dolly shaft for said machine extending entirely through said gear housing into the washing vessel, said shaft being driven by the worm gear but free to move endwise with respect thereto.

6. A washing machine comprising, in combination, a tiltable lid, a gear housing providing a lubricant chamber mounted on said lid, an operating member for the washing machine emerging into the lubricant chamber at a point above the level of lubricant in the gear housing at all times, a driving gear a driven gear connected with the operating member, said gears being disposed within the housing and having operative connection with one another below the point of emergence of the operating member into the lubricant chamber.

In testimony whereof I hereto affix my signature.

RALPH L. LEE. 

